CARHAIX-PLOUGUER, France, August 7 — EOW (END OF THE WORLD), a global tour agency, announced that Korean Music Awards-winning screamo pioneers Hollow Jan will play their first-ever European shows this August on the “Eastern Shadow Tour,” highlighted by an appearance at Motocultor Festival.
In a long-anticipated milestone for the underground music scene, Hollow Jan finally steps beyond Korea’s borders. The tour kicks off on August 14 in Rouen at Le Fury Défendu, followed the next day by Motocultor Festival, on a bill featuring Judas Priest, Emperor and Arch Enemy — then Le Ferrailleur in Nantes on August 17, before closing at Supersonic in Paris on August 18.
Formed in Seoul in 2003, Hollow Jan released “Rough Draft in Progress” in 2006, which won Best Rock Album at the 2008 Korean Music Awards — where the band collected four nominations, including Album of the Year, and delivered a ceremony performance still talked about today. This was followed by “Day Off” (2014), which also received a nomination; the EP “Confusion” (2023), shortlisted for Best Metal & Hardcore Album; and the single “Dreambound Tides,” released in May 2026.
The band arrives on familiar ground: their first two albums, reissued in Europe by acclaimed UK label Dog Knights Productions (2022, 2025), have already earned them a cult following on the continent. Selected for SXSW in 2014, Hollow Jan commands a singular sound — “the sorrowful beauty of Seoul” — where the lyrical sweep of post-rock collides with the catharsis of screamed vocals. For fans of Envy, Daïtro or Touché Amoré, this meeting feels inevitable.
Their live shows are regularly described as experiences of collective catharsis. On August 3, the band played a final hometown show in Seoul, opening for the US band Nothing, before flying to Europe.
“We leave behind sounds, not explanations. In a world where moments burn out and vanish so quickly, we hope our music becomes a vibration that makes people stop — a passing echo for some, for others a night that keeps returning. If it has moved the air even for an instant, that is enough for us.” — Hollow Jan
The tour is supported by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) as part of its 2026 program supporting overseas concerts by Korean popular music artists.